Free Vengeful Shadows by Bronwyn Green Page A

heavy-lidded eyes, looking as though he’d just woken up. It was a good look.
    Thinking clearly had suddenly become more difficult, and heat curled low in her belly. “Of the kiss?”
    He smirked. “I was referring to the plan, but we can talk about the kiss if you want.”
    “Jerk.” She turned away and pushed open the door, not wanting him to see the blush that crept over her skin.
    He followed her into the living room and flopped on the couch, legs wide, arm draped across the back. The poster boy for casual sex. He sat silently, watching her pace. She had too much pent up frustration to sit.
    She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. He didn’t look any different than he usually did. He wore his weekend uniform—worn jeans and a T-shirt. As he shifted, she could make out the play of muscles beneath the soft fabric as she tried to ignore what lay beneath. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t seen him dressed like this before. But her awareness was acutely sharpened, all because he decided to dabble with behavioral theory.
    So he’d kissed her. He was her friend. If it helped him keep his job, it wasn’t that big a deal. Right? It wasn’t as if she planned to sleep with him. Besides, judging from his reaction when she’d returned his kiss, he obviously wasn’t as attracted to her as she was to him. Maybe, she’d been misreading his signals all along. What she’d assumed was mutual desire was nothing more than her wishful thinking.
    This was just one friend doing a favor for another friend. Wasn’t it just last night that she thought pretending to be his lover would allow her to satisfy her curiosity without the messiness of a relationship? Wasn’t that exactly what she wanted? Her attraction to him made the situation far more complicated than it needed to be.
    Zander smothered a laugh as Tessa stalked to the kitchen and glared into the refrigerator. Pulling out a couple bottles of beer, she opened them and returned to the couch. Still frowning, she sank onto the opposite cushion. Her fingers grazed his as she handed him a bottle, but he wanted more than the innocent slide of her hand against his.
    He took a pull off the beer and watched her as intently as she watched him. She hadn’t slapped him across the face, which he supposed was a good sign. But she hadn’t really said anything, either. She raised the bottle to her mouth, and he couldn’t help but stare, remembering the sensation of her soft lips against his.
    Lowering the bottle, she cleared her throat. “So let me get this straight. You think randomly kissing me will make me less jumpy?”
    “Yeah,” he nodded, taking another swallow. “You’ll be used to me.”
    “I’m already used to you,” she objected.
    “If we get accustomed to being more physical, the touching won’t come as a surprise. And when I kiss you, it won’t look as though we’ve never done it before.”
    He followed the movement of her tongue as she moistened her lips. Oh yeah, he would definitely be kissing her again. Every chance he got.
    Her brow furrowed, and she stared at him, clearly weighing her options.
    This had seemed like such a good idea when he woke up this morning. He still thought it was. Hell, anything that gave him the excuse to be close to Tessa was a fantastic idea.
    “Well … ” She rolled the bottle between her palms, her ring clinking against the glass. “It’s not like it means anything.”
    His first impulse was to protest. It meant something. How could kissing her not mean anything? Smothering a sigh, he forced himself to come back to reality. The only thing it meant was that he might not lose his job. He couldn’t allow himself to think this subterfuge with Tessa could lead to anything else. He wouldn’t use her like that. He could never offer her more than friendship.
    She watched him as if wary of his next move.
    “Right,” he conceded. “This is just for show.”
    Pressing her lips together in a tight line, she studied him. What was